Merced, CA vs Prior Lake, MN

Side-by-side comparison of housing, income, commute, safety, and quality of life.

Score Snapshot

No universal winner

Scores summarize the published model. Use the objective metric differences below and your own priorities to choose.

Merced

64.3

#1702 nationally

Prior Lake

72.4

#898 nationally

Prior Lake leads in crime level (2.9 vs 21.5). Merced leads in walk score (42 vs 14). Prior Lake leads in median household income ($129,539 vs $59,233).

Metric-by-Metric Breakdown

Metric	Merced, CA	Prior Lake, MN
WhereAtHome Score	64.3 (#1702)	72.4 (#898)
Population	93,692	28,027
Typical Home Value (ZHVI)	$397,570	$534,270
Median Household Income	$59,233	$129,539
Average Commute	27 min	25.2 min
Walk Score	42	14
Crime Level	21.5	2.9
School Rating	N/A	N/A
Cost of Living Index	121	120
Political lean County 2024 presidential margin — context only, not scored	R+4.4	R+8.5